Veggie Grill’s New Seasonal (and Tasty!) Winter Menu

bystephanieonFebruary 10, 2018

Veggie Grill, my most favorite vegan fast-casual chain, updated their seasonal winter menu for the year. New Year’s resolutions are fresh on everyone’s planners, so a healthy lunch or a family dinner at Veggie Grill is a great choice. As many people are eating a more plant-based diet, the freshness of their winter menu pleases the palates of all types: vegan, vegetarian, and omnivores (a.k.a. less-meat-a-tarians) alike can be happy with what’s on their plate this season.

I’m a regular at Veggie Grill myself, so when I had the chance to taste their seasonal winter menu, my table was full of fresh and delicious choices. I knew my three kids would jump at the chance to go to Veggie Grill with me. It was pretty easy to guess which dishes they would pick.

Because I like so many items on the menu, it was difficult for me to make a selection between the Meatballs and Polenta Bowl, the Chikin’ Milanese Salad, and the Lucky Star Burger. Oh, and the Butternut Velvet Soup. Yes, I had to try them all.

My teenage daughter loves the Chikin’ Milanese Salad for the crispy chikin’ itself, served with two crispy chickin’ cutlets, romaine lettuce and arugula, balsamic glaze, grape tomatoes, shredded parmesan ‘cheese’, basil, citrus vinaigrette and toasted garlic bread. We share this together, but clearly she only allowed me to take a few bites. Winner winner chikin’ salad!

The Lucky Star Burger is definitely a tasty choice for omnivores going vegan, as well as for those eating less meat and a more healthful plant-based diet.

My teenage son devoured the Lucky Star Burger (which is saying a lot because he tends to sneak over to fast food chain drive-thru lines when he’s craving a burger). Made with a grilled Beyond Burger patty, smoked gouda ‘cheese’, balsamic onions, blue ‘cheese’ sauce, arugula, sriracha ketchup, pretzel bun, the Lucky Star Burger is definitely a tasty choice for omnivores going vegan, as well as for those eating less meat and a more healthful plant-based diet. The burger itself is made with the pea-protein based Beyond Meat patty (a second choice to my favorite Impossible Burger patty). Go ahead, add the avocado.

My youngest daughter likes the Butternut Velvet Soup, the XX Fire-Roasted Chikin’ Burrito, and all of the fries. (She’s happy if you just get her the fries, but I’m always pushing the veggies.) A big bowl of Butternut Velvet soup made her tummy feel full and nourished while giving her lots of nutrition. Then she ate up fries to her heart’s content! We shared halves of the Chikin’ Burrito another time, and she was dancing around in her seat. Good sign!

The XX Fire-Roasted Chikin’ Burrito was surprisingly more delicious than it first appeared. It isn’t as visually impressive as the name suggests, however, to its credit, it has lots of good flavor. The salsa adds some kick, but without the salsa it’s a good choice for hungry (and picky) kids that don’t like spice no matter what. The name may be a little misleading at first, suggesting heat, but it’s fire-roasted, not spicy hot. If I had any criticism for the burrito itself, I’d add more fire-roasted veggies inside and serve it with a spicier tomatillo salsa. Burritos are my go-to meal when in a hurry, or when I’m hangry beyond words. I’d definitely chomp into this one during one of my cross-eyed and drooling hangry episodes and feel substantially well-fed and brought back to happy mode.

The Southeast Asian Lettuce Wraps seem more like a small appetizer, with emphasis on simplicity. It certainly surprised me. I wasn’t sure if they lacked something, as I’m often in the Vietnamese vegan dining spots around Los Angeles and Orange County, and have enjoyed many Southeast Asian vegan dishes. Yet the taste was there– subtle, light and fresh.

The Butternut Velvet Soup is a good choice as well, so don’t pass it up if you crave something nourishing. One of my best homemade soups is butternut squash, so I’m a tough critic with this one. It was just as the name suggests: velvet-y. The pepitas on top made the perfect garnish.

I went back three times to taste more of the winter menu. Once I went all by myself and ordered my favorite items: Chikin’ Milanese Salad, Butternut Velvet Soup, and the Lucky Star Burger served with fries. I’m sure that passersby at the Westfield Village at Topanga thought I was being a total veggie hog by the looks of my table, but did I care? Not at all. I’m eating my veggies and proud.